"technically exceptional, musically mature and artistically adventurous” (Classikon)
About Us
Sutherland Trio combines the wealth of experience belonging to three of Melbourne’s most celebrated musicians. Pianist Caroline Almonte, cellist Molly Kadarauch and violinist Elizabeth Sellars are international prize-winners who have played with chamber ensembles of the highest acclaim including Duo Sol, Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Their natural rapport radiates in performance giving the audience a warm, engaging and mature insight to the music.
Formed in 2010 in honour of the trailblazing Australian composer, teacher and pioneer Margaret Sutherland, the trio’s vision is to highlight a female composer in each concert and to combine great works of the western art chamber music tradition with significant directions in composition worldwide. International and Australian premieres have included works by Lera Auerbach, Britta Bystrom, Stuart Greenbaum, Christine McCombe, Richard Danielpour, Katy Abbot, Caroline Almonte, Paul Grabowsky, Mary Finsterer and Missy Mazzoli.
During their eleven year collaboration, Sutherland Trio have curated and performed five concert-series at the Melbourne Recital Centre. The trio were honoured to be appointed inaugural fellows at the University of Melbourne's Medley Hall wand as passionate educators, Sutherland Trio have also performed concerts for young children at Melbourne Recital Centre and Monash University. Performance highlights have included Musica Viva, Adelaide’s Elder Hall, Port Fairy Festival, Macedon Music, 3MBS Marathons, Batemans Bay Music Society, Mornington Peninsula Summer Music Festival, Duneira, Melbourne Digital Concert Hall, Benalla Art Gallery, and ABC Classic FM.
Sutherland Trio has awarded two twelve-month mentorships to Amogus and Esplanade Trios as part of Musica Viva’s Strike a Chord chamber music competition for secondary school students. They have also collaborated with Melbourne Conservatorium of Music's composition department awarding two students annually the opportunity to workshop their compositions with Sutherland Trio and have their works performed.
Upcoming performances in 2024 include performances at the Mcclelland Art Gallery and at Melba Hall.
Caroline Almonte - piano
Caroline Almonte is an Australian Pianist, Producer and Pedagogue.
She studied with Stephen McIntyre at the Victorian College of the Arts and Oxana Yablonskaya at the Juilliard School, New York. Her solo and chamber music prizes include ABC Young Performers and Premio “Trio di Trieste” Caroline has given solo, concerto and chamber music recitals, around Australia and overseas. She has performed in Canada, China, Italy, Japan, South America, U.K and the United States, including appearances at the Melbourne and Perth International Festivals, Bologna Festival, Edinburgh International Festival , Musica Viva ‘s Huntington Festival , Shanghai International Piano Festival, Teatro Colosseo Series in Buenos Airesa and Residencies at Universities in NZ, USA and China.
Her many musical collaborations include working with members of the Australia Ensemble, Australian String Quartet,, Sarah Chang, Escher String Quartet, Flinders Quartet, Daniel Hope, Yvonne Kenny, Ralph Kirschbaum, Ian Munro, Susie Park, Miki Tsunoda - Duo Sol and Pieter Wispelway.In 2018, Pieter Wispelwey and Caroline Almonte were nominated for a Helpmann award for their performances of the complete works of Beethoven and Brahms Sonatas for cello and piano at the Melbourne Recital Centre. In 2019, Caroline received the Australian Women in Music - Excellence in Classical music award
Alongside her stage performances, Caroline is passionate about working with young people and has been involved in several projects with the AYO and MYO ( tutor), both AMEB and ABC as recording artist, producer and program maker.
Caroline teaches piano and chamber music at the University of Melbourne and the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School.
Elizabeth Sellars - violin
Joy and curiosity are central to Elizabeth's lifelong quest to create uplifting musical performances that transcend the mundane. Drawing upon her belief that music can delve into our essence, bring beauty to our lives and transport us to the sublime, Elizabeth’s artistic approach is to connect audiences with wonder through sculpted sound that is nuanced, rich, warm and ardent.
Elizabeth was born in Melbourne, Australia where her primary teachers were Nehama Patkin (piano) and Nathan Gutman (violin). After attending the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary school, further study took her to the Guildhall School of Music in London where she studied with David Takeno (violin) and the Takacs and Gabrieli String Quartets (chamber music). Elizabeth was a recipient of the Countess of Munster and Martin Trust Scholarships as well as a winner of the inaugural John Tunnell Trust and the Royal Overseas League Ensemble Prize and Miller Trophy. Elizabeth toured throughout the UK, broadcast for the BBC, and performed in Europe and Asia with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Elizabeth has appeared as guest Concertmaster and Principal Violin with the Tasmanian and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras and Orchestra Victoria. She has also toured with the Australia World Orchestra. As a sought after chamber musician, she has appeared for Musica Viva and in festivals and on radio worldwide. Elizabeth’s performances have been published by Move, Naxos, ABC Classics, Toccata Classics and Tzadik and her CD The Messiaen Nexus (with Kenji Fujimura) won the 2014 Limelight Chamber Music Recording of the Year. Her most recent CDs contribute the first publication of George Pinto's Sonatas for keyboard and violin and Australian Horn Trios.
Formerly the Coordinator of Strings at Monash University for sixteen years, Elizabeth now teaches privately and at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She is a member of Quercus Horn Trio and Flinders Quartet.
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Molly Kadarauch - cello
Molly Kadarauch, is one of Australia’s highly accomplished and versatile cellists. Her playing as a soloist and chamber musician has been hailed by critics as “brilliant” and “passionate”, praising her “impressive technique, mature artistry, and the style, depth and beauty” she brings to her performances.
Originally from a musical family in the San Francisco Bay Area, she embarked on a musical journey that took her from California to England, Boston and Berlin before eventually settling in Australia in 1996. Joining the acclaimed Australian Chamber Orchestra, she spent seven intensive and fulfilling years touring nationally and around the globe, performing in renowned music venues worldwide.
Eventually, she decided to make Melbourne her home, a city she had always cherished as a favourite touring destination. Over the past two decades, she has established her career as an esteemed chamber musician, soloist, teacher and educator, based in Melbourne.
In 2010, she had the immense good fortune of meeting together with Caroline and Elizabeth. Together, they co-founded Sutherland Trio, feeling an immediate connection of musicality and a shared passion for creating a beautiful and resonant sound. In addition to her work with Sutherland Trio, she has collaborated in chamber music with many musicians and artists here and abroad, including former ACO colleagues and along side internationally renowned cellists Steven Isserlis (Schubert 5tet) and Pieter Wispelway. Chamber music festival appearances have included Huntington, Adelaide, and more recently, Port Fairy and Macedon Winery.
Other notable concert tours include “Voyage to the Moon” - a joint Musica Viva and Victorian Opera production (2016), performances in India and Australia with the Australian World Orchestra (2018, 2019) and as a soloist at the Melbourne International Cello festival (2017). More locally, She has also directed and performed as a soloist with Orchestra 21, with the Melbourne Musicians and Melbourne Bach Choir, and in 2022 performed the Brahms Double Concerto alongside Elizabeth Sellars with the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra.
Molly has also served as guest principal cellist with several major Australian Symphony and Opera Orchestras, and in New Zealand.
Beyond her performing career in Australia, Molly is a passionate educator and has devoted the past 20 years to teaching students of all ages and abilities, and at many institutions including Melbourne Conservatorium (University of Melbourne), Queensland Conservatorium (Griffith University), Australian National Academy of Music, Monash University, the Australian Youth Orchestra, Victoria State Music Camp and Melbourne Youth Orchestra.
Her own musical education began with renowned teachers Irene Sharp (CA) and Joan Dickson (Purcell School of Music, London), followed by undergraduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston under the guidance of Laurence Lesser, a former student of Piatigorsky. In 1991, she received a prestigious two-year Fulbright Scholarship to Berlin, where she continued her studies with Wolfgang Boettcher, former principal cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic.
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